Fighting to Win
by summermocha
Summary: Sarada Uchiha fights for the biggest prize in her life: the heart of Boruto Uzumaki.
1. Chapter 1

**Boruto/Sarada: Fighting to Win**

Part one of a two part story (?) with my favorite precious BoruSara couple. Side dishes of Chouchou/Mitsuki and Himawari/Inojin included, of course...  
Hope you enjoy~

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

 _Thank you kind reviewer who fixed my mistake on the InoShikaCho trio! And of course, thank you for the other kind reviews! :D_

* * *

Her eyes kept following him as he ran around with his friends. He was the same age as them, but he had surpassed them by far in terms of skill. She couldn't help but smile to herself at that thought.  
"Lookin' at Boruto again, huh?" Chouchou grinned.  
Sarada blushed profusely. "I-it's not like that...!"  
"Yeah, whatever," The young Akimichi chuckled. "I can't blame ya...he's not bad looking or anything..."  
Sarada struggled to find words that would refute that claim.  
She did in fact find Boruto pleasing to look. He had obviously inherited his father's sunny blonde hair, and lively cobalt eyes. But he had his energy and zeal for life, as well. But the way his cheeks would turn red, and the way his hair waved, was similar to his mother. He had inherited a gentle heart from both his parents, though. She could see how their love had managed to create someone like Boruto.  
Chouchou sneered at her struggling friend. "He has his father's looks, all right...but I can see his mother in him, too."  
Sarada nodded, silently agreeing.  
"But personally, I think Mitsuki's kinda cute. Even if his dad is that weird snake guy..."  
Sarada smiled sheepishly at her friend's comment. Mitsuki was her teammate; she found it impossible to think of him in a romantic way. Although Boruto did seem to be an exception, even though he was under the same circumstances.  
"It's too bad I'm in this silly InoShikaCho thing, though...I'm basically friendzoned for life...and it sucks, because Shikadai and Inojin are really cute!"  
Sarada watched Shikadai and Inojin spar with Boruto. She didn't know very much about them, other than the fact that their mothers often spent afternoons sipping tea together or shopping. She did acknowledge the fact that Shikadai and Inojin had inherited their parent's looks, however: Shikadai had his mother's beautiful emerald almond eyes, and Inojin had his mother's healthy blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes. Sarada did in fact find the two women beautiful. "Yeah, I guess they aren't half bad either."  
Chouchou leaned in closer to Sarada, and cupped her hand around her ear. "I hear Boruto's little sister has a crush on Inojin~" She whispered. "I heard Boruto yell at him the other day...it's so cute to see him be an overprotective brother..." Chouchou giggled, her cheeks slightly pink.  
Sarada felt her cheeks turn hot as well. ' _Yeah, that is pretty cute,_ ' She thought.  
Chouchou leaned back in the bench the two sat at. " _Man_ , I just want something interest to happen already, you know~?"  
The young Uchiha raised an eyebrow.  
"I mean, when our parents were our age, Suna tried to invade this village, and then we launched into that World War...I mean, I'm not wishing for anything that drastic to happen again, of course...but some spice would be nice, you know...?" Chouchou paused for a moment, "Mmm...some spicy curry sounds good right about now..." her later comment causing Sarada to laugh. "Hey, let's go get lunch," Chouchou suggested.

Sarada glanced at Boruto one last time. The image of him sitting proudly on top of a pile of his defeated friends caused her smile. "Sure," Sarada agreed, still smiling.

 **-x-x-x-**

"Mom, how did you win Papa over?" Sarada questioned her mother at the dinner table.  
Her mother, taken aback by the sudden question, turned a bright flush of scarlet, which was identical in color to the dress she wore. "I-I, uh...why do you ask, honey?"  
Her emerald eyes watched her daughter, her cheeks turning a sheer shade of pink, fidget.  
"I'm just wondering," Sarada said, twisting her fork into her pasta.  
"Oh, is it about Boruto again?" Sakura asked, winking at her daughter.  
Sarada only turned her head the other way, revealing the dark, ebony back of her head to her mother.  
Sakura chuckled, knowing this familiar sight too well. "You're just like your father,"  
Memories vividly flashed into Sakura's mind.  
Sarada turned her head to face her mother again. She softly smiled, realizing her daughter had inherited her father's cool detached nature.  
"Hm...now let's see...where shall I begin...?"  
The pink haired kunochi began telling her story. She began with how Sakura fell for Sasuke right away. She then continued on about how he would say _"You're so annoying"_ to her. Sarada would frown for a few seconds upon such negative feedback, however, her lips would curve upwards into a smile again when her mother mentioned something positive, such as how Sasuke saved Sakura and Hatake Kakashi, the sixth Hokage, from Kaguya's wrath. Sarada patiently listened. She absorbed everything her mother said about her love story with her father.

"...So, in the end, you need to fight for his love! Don't you dare cry when you lose, if you never even fought to win!"  
Her mother grinned at her young daughter.  
Her daughter grinned in response.

That night, after getting dressed into her nightwear, the young Uchiha couldn't stop hearing her mother's words echo inside of her mind.  
 _"...So, in the end, you need to fight for his love! Don't you dare cry when you lose, if you never even fought to win!"_  
She made a promise to herself, as the moon's light shone into her window; the light illuminating the fiery hope she had inside of her.

 **-x-x-x-**

She threw kunai at the target practices.  
' _100% accuracy..._ '  
She continued to throw kunai. She attempted changing variables, such as closing her eyes or changing the height of the kunai being thrown.  
Few managed to hit the center of their target. Frowning, she continued to practice.  
' _Need to try...harder..._ '  
"Are you seriously training on a day like this?"  
' _...That voice...!_ '  
Her onyx eyes met his beryl eyes.  
"Sarada, you need to relax. No one else is going to take the Hokage title from you," He smiled.  
She stiffened her posture, and readjusted her glasses. "Easy for the son of the Seventh Hokage to say."  
He looked so relaxed; his hands were in his pockets, and his posture was lazy. His hair was a mess, furthering his relaxed demeanor. "Yeah, whatever," Rolling his eyes, he added, "daughter of _Sasuke Uchiha_."  
She rolled her eyes back at him in response. "I should be saying that to you,"  
His feet took large steps, walking closer to her. Taking some kunai from her hands, he covered his eyes with one hand and threw kunai with the other hand. He managed to hit every mark.  
The young Uchiha's charcoal eyes widened. "W-what? How did you-"  
Boruto grinned largely at her. Veins suddenly protruded around his eyes.  
They were no longer a beryl shade, but a soft lavender shade.  
Sarada's own eyes widened in shock. "The Byakugan-"  
"C'mon, Sarada. You were gifted with your own Dojutsu. Make use of it,"  
"When did you awaken it?"  
"Awhile ago. This makes using the Gentle Fist easier," He winked at her.  
His cheeks slowly began becoming redder and redder.  
"Sarada, don't train without me from now on...! I need to become just as strong as you, so that I can protect you when you become Hokage!"

She felt as if the world around her had stopped; blurred and erased into nonexistence. Her heart began beating faster and faster, becoming her own clock hands that were signalling her future rapidly approaching. They were hidden underneath layers and layers of trees and their shade, but somehow the sunlight came in and shone on the boy before her.

"Yeah!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Boruto/Sarada: Fighting to Win**

Part two.  
Attempt #1 at trying to write good action scenes.  
Please bear with me.

Also, I apologize if the characters are OOC...

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

The summer green leaves turned into red, signaling the approach of autumn.  
Snow soon began to fall.  
Then, the flowers and trees came back to life in spring.  
The leaves went from a soft jade to a deep evergreen color.  
This cycle repeated.  
Even the world around them had continued to change, the two had continued to train together. Both were hard workers. They both felt like the other was ahead, and that they needed to catch up to them. They used this to fuel their motivation.  
Five years had slowly passed.

Her luscious ebony hair grew to her waist. She had parted her side bangs and tucked them behind her ear, which resembled her mother's hairstyle. She began wearing a a high collared jacket, that bore the crest of the Uchiha on her back. It was a deep red color, and underneath she wore a mesh shirt. She wore black shorts, with her Konoha headband as a belt. Her charcoal shinobi sandals reached below her knees. She explained to her mother that she wished to create her own style, although Sakura herself didn't think the attire was original.  
Her face had matured greatly.  
Despite all these changes, she still wore the same glasses.  
Her onyx eyes kept looking into the future- the future of her being Hokage, along with Boruto by her side.

Boruto had changed as well during these past five years.  
His hair grew longer, and perhaps even wilder. They resembled the Kyubi's raging tails.  
His face grew more slender, but he still retained his mother's gentle features.  
He had also grown much taller- he was easily a foot taller than Sarada. His outfit bore resemblance to the attire he wore years past; the only differences were that he wore a dark charcoal jacket that reached below his bottom. Like his old jacket, it had pink detailing and the Uzumaki crest on one sleeve; the Hyuga crest on the other. He had long, tan pants that were tucked into shinobi sandals that reached him mid-calf. His forehead was proudly hidden by his Konoha headband; the village his father protected.

Over the years, they had grown closer and closer together. With every year that passed, their dreams seemed more and more obtainable. There were many instances where Sarada _could_ have confessed. But she always felt her heart stop; she felt time stop. She felt herself being weighed down. She hesitated to even bring up the subject of love. She was afraid to ask if he had anyone he liked. What if he admitted he had someone else he fancied? She thought to herself that not knowing was better than rejection.  
Around them, all of their friends began seeing people. This made her feel as though a stopwatch had begun, counting down the time it took for something to happen.  
She was always looking forward, and only stopped once to look behind her, at Boruto.  
She never realized that all the time she spent looking onward, he was always gazing at her back.

 **-x-x-x-**

"I can't believe my little sister has a boyfriend," Boruto said out of nowhere, one day.  
The two were retreating from a long of day of training.  
They were walking to the village on a dirt path.

Sarada, who caught off guard by the sudden statement, quickly regathered her calm deposition. "Are you jealous?" She sneered.  
Boruto pouted his lips. "N-no, of course not. I'm just mad it's Inojin. I'm a little worried because he's older, and Himawari is younger-"  
Sarada rolled her ebony eyes. As she grew older, her eye shape became more slender and feminine. Although a different color, they began resembling her mother's eyes more and more. "Boruto," She calmly said.  
He raised a blonde eyebrow at his friend. The sun shone down on his face, at a perfect angle, revealing tanned skin and illuminated, lively blue eyes. His blonde bangs cascaded onto his face.  
"Himawari will be fine," Sarada said, reassuringly. She gently smiled at him.  
He said nothing in response, but Sarada knew well what he wanted to say just from his facial expression.  
"are you just jealous she found someone before you did?" She asked, smirking.  
Instantly, his face turned a bright scarlet color. "N-no! Why would I be? Girls are stupid!"  
Sarada's face fell, instantly.  
She stayed silent for a moment.  
 _Don...!_  
At lightning speed, a fist approached him, launching him into the dirt beneath them. "Hey, _baka_!"  
His mouth was full of dirt and his eyes were full of tears. He mumbled words, in a sympathetic tone. Sarada placed her hands on her hips, making her look much more defiant.  
"That's right, you better apologize!"  
She stayed angry for a mere second, before bursting into laughter.  
Although she was happy for moments of bliss like these, she wondered if it would be even more blissful if their relationship had gone above that of a platonic friendship. While happy they could stay friends for so long, she was also sad that it had not developed into more.  
Times like these, such as being reminded of his little sister's relationship with a boy that was their age, made her heart sink. Her eyes softened at the silly sight of the boy in front of her, his face smashed into a mound of dirt.  
His words were mumbled, blurred by the dirt in his mouth. "D-dattebasa..."  
Her eyes softened. She gently smiled. Her cheeks were tinted with a soft rosy pink color.

 **-x-x-x-**

"It's going to be a dangerous mission."  
"Okay, okay dad. I heard you the first time."  
The elder Nara raised an eyebrow at his defiant son. ' _Sassy like his mother, heh.'_ He thought to himself, although the smirk on his face revealed his thoughts.  
The younger Nara rolled his shamrock eyes at his father.  
"Excuse me, but why is Megane here...? She isn't a normal member of our team." The young Yamanaka boy politely asked. His face was stern and serious, resembling his once emotionless father to the core.  
The seventh Hokage couldn't help but smile upon that thought. "Good question, Inojin." He folded his hands, and then placed his chin on top of his interlocked fingers. "You see, Inojin, Sarada has the Sharingan. This will prove very useful for your mission; the enemy moves lightning fast. Her skills with the Sharingan are so well-developed, she will be able to read their movements with ease." He directed a smile at his best friend's daughter, who admittedly, he had begun to love as if she were his daughter as well. Even though he lived by the philosophy that the village was his family, he had a soft spot for the young Uchiha girl.  
"But your son has the Byakugan. Wouldn't that help, too?" Shikadai asked.  
Naruto's smile began to fade. "My son isn't that capable. At least, he isn't up to par with his sister or his mother...definitely not even _close_ to his mother's skills with the Byakuga-"  
His faithful adviser smiled at his friend's comment. Sarada and Chouchou's faces lit up with a gleeful envy. Inojin was more entranced with the Hokage's mentioning of his girlfriend, while Shikadai stood silently.  
"It's so cute to see the Hokage brag about his wife," Chouchou said, grinning to Sarada.  
Sarada nodded, agreeing. ' _If only his son could be that adorable..._ '  
"So why isn't your daughter on this mission?" Shikadai asked, interrupting.  
"She's on another mission, unfortunately." Shikamaru answered. He glared at his son.  
"So the mission is to retrieve stolen documents from these two?" Inojin asked.  
Shikamaru and Naruto nodded.  
Naruto abruptly stood from his chair. "Team InoShikaCho _plus_ Sarada, you are dismissed!"  
The four disappeared from his office in a blur; understanding that they were to start their mission.

The Hokage, pleased, sat down in his chair.  
Shikamaru loosened his stiff posture. "Man, that was awkward."  
"What was?"  
"Wasn't that weird being in the same room as your daughter's boyfriend?"  
Naruto stared at his friend for a moment, before truly absorbing his words.

"MY DAUGHTER IS DATING LITTLE SAI?!"

 **-x-x-x-**

"This mission is going to be a piece of cake...! Defeat some quick guys, or whatever, take back the papers they stole from the Sand guy, and then KABOOM the mission is completed! Then I get to go out with Anko-sensei when I get home..."  
"Fatty, stop thinking about food," Inojin had said, in a rather snappy tone. The young Akimichi shot the Yamanaka boy a dirty look. "the mission isn't that simple. We are dealing with ninja with the Swift release; they are incredibly fast."  
Sarada nodded, agreeing.  
"Our job is to beat them to the border, then take the documents. Then the mission should be complete," Shikadai added. "I'm thinking that at the pace we're going, we'll be fine...I don't think they would use their Swift release all the way to the border. They're probably reserving their energy in case they come across someone..."  
"But what if they don't?" Chouchou asked.  
"They know they'll come across strong opponents at the border. They wouldn't waste their energy trying to hurry over there," Inojin answered.  
"This is such a pain in the ass," Shikadai mumbled. "but he's letting a bunch of Chuunin do the job. It shouldn't be too bad,"  
They leaped from tree branch to tree branch, rushing to the border of the Land of Fire.

Before they realized it, dusk had fallen on them.  
The moon hung high above them. Sounds of crickets filled the forest.  
"We should rest," Shikadai said, with no evidence of fatigue on him.  
"I, I agree," Chouchou said, panting.  
"Fatty, you just want to eat a midnight snack," Inojin said, giving a disapproving look.  
"Hey, I deserve it! I burned like, five MILLION calories!"  
Sarada smiled softly, admiring their team's strong bond.  
Shikadai glanced around their surrounding. Trees were everywhere. Darkness enveloped the area. But no signs of the enemy. "This looks like a good place to rest for the night. You guys okay with this place?"  
The other three nodded.

Shikadai nestled into a tree trunk, with Chouchou on the other side of the tree. She hugged her backpack, which contained a bag of her favorite BBQ flavored chips.  
The night was silent. Clouds slowly loomed ahead. The stars twinkled brightly.  
Her mind couldn't stop thinking of him. His smile illuminated her thoughts. His words ran round and round inside of her. She remembered seeing his Byakugan eyes, activated, that one day. She herself worked hard to strengthen her abilities with her Sharingan, but she often wondered if she was up to par with him. " _My son isn't that capable. At least, he isn't up to par with his sister or his mother...definitely not even close to his mother's skills with the Byakuga-"_ His father's words echoed in her mind. Perhaps she _had_ caught up to him.  
Sarada found herself climbing to the top of the tree, staring at the moon above her in the sky. It was a full moon tonight.  
"Can't sleep?"  
She didn't even have to look behind her to see who it was.  
"You should sleep, Inojin."  
Footsteps slowly creeped closer. "I couldn't fall asleep," He seated himself next to her on the thick branch.  
She glanced to look at him. His face was illuminated underneath the moon's glow. He hadn't changed much these past few years. His hair had grown a bit longer, but he had retained a similar outfit to ones he had donned in the past, the only difference being that it had more plum in its color scheme. His face had matured, as well. Sarada found herself thinking that it was obvious Himawari would fall for someone like him; he had his father's facial features but his mother's more feminine traits to soften his edges.  
"You seem distracted," Inojin finally said.  
Sarada, while surprised by his comment, did not flinch. She merely raised an eyebrow at him. She turned to look at the moon, high above them. "I'm just thinking about someone," She admitted.  
Inojin smirked. "Could you be referring to Boruto?"  
Her face deepened into a darker shade of red. Her eyes widened. "H-huh?! You _knew_?"  
"Megane, everyone knows." His nickname for her referred to her eyeglasses. But it was not an insult, or anything of that nature. He smiled, his grin reaching from ear to ear. "Even Himawari knows,"  
Sarada's face fell. ' _I am so embarrassed..._ ' Attempting to regain her cool deposition, she straightened her frames. She stayed silent.  
"Why not confess to him? You are one to go after what they want. Isn't he someone you want?"  
She fell silent for a moment.  
"Sorry, I-"  
"No, you're right," She interrupted him. "I just. I feel like I can't confess to him yet."  
"Why not?"  
She bit her lip. She had this talk with her mother before.

 _One day, Sarada had returned home from a day out, training with Boruto.  
"So how was your date with Boruto?" Her mother winked. _  
_Sarada, caught off guard, turned tomato red. "I-it wasn't a date...!"_  
 _She laughed at her daughter's helpless red face. "Have you told him you like him, yet?"_  
 _Sarada frowned. Disappointment filled her chest. "No, mama. I'm scared to,"_  
 _"Hmm," Sakura crossed her arms. "he isn't nearly as dense as his father. Don't be afraid." Sarada stared at her mother in confusion. Her mother got on one knee, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "But if his goal is to protect you..." Her lips formed a huge smile. "he's always been watching you. Don't be afraid, but don't force anything either."_

"He's always watching you," Inojin said, staring into the forest below them.  
"Huh? How do you know that?" Her face was full of worry.  
"I know because he is my friend. And I can intercept on his emotions. He resembles his father in many ways, but he isn't nearly as dense when it comes to romance." He turned his face to look at Sarada. His pale blue eyes had never looked so serious before. His words echoed what her mother had said before. "just wait. I'm sure it will happen when the time is right."  
Sarada found herself slowly grinning ear to ear, erasing the uncertainty from before. Her face was a bright red, but she wasn't ashamed of it. She felt glee filling her up on the inside. "When we return to the village from this mission, I am going to confess to him...!"  
Her mother's love story inspired her. She desired to have a happy ending like them. She was sure if she kept fighting, victory would be waiting for her.  
A sweat drop fell from Inojin's head. ' _Leave it to Megane to do the opposite of what I told her..."Don't force the relationship!", yet she decided to confess to him anyway...what a terrifying woman..._ ' Inojin thought to himself. On the outside, he smiled gently.

Sarada, whose face was full of ambition and passion, turned suddenly to her childhood friend. "So Inojin, how did you ask out Himawari?"  
Instantly, the pale boy's face had turned a deep beet red color. "Uh..."

 **-x-x-x-**

They stared at the morning dawn.  
"You guys ready to head out?" Shikadai asked his fellow teammates. Although he wasn't appointed leader by anyone specifically, he felt as though it was his duty. He mirrored his father in many ways, but most evidently in his leadership qualities. The rest of his team nodded. "Okay, let's move."

The border was a mere few feet away. They began to sense a disturbingly large amount of chakra filling the air.  
"Could it be the enemy?" Chouchou whispered.  
Shikadai, who was leading the squadron, suddenly halted. The others followed suit.  
They stayed silent.  
Rustles of leaves could be heard.  
The voices of grown men could be heard, too.

"Ha...! I can't believe how easy it was to snag these documents from the Kazekage's council team...for a bunch of Jonin leveled folks...they were awfully slow, ha!"  
"It was almost too easy. But what's more surprising is that no one has attempted to stop us...!"  
"Ha, yeah! They are awfully stup-"  
The conversation suddenly felt silent.

 **(PLEASE TOLERATE THIS AWFUL BATTLE SCENE. I TRIED OK)**

 **actually not sure if sarada wears glasses because she can't see, or-  
just go with it :D**

The team stared at each other, in sheer confusion.  
A blur of black suddenly appeared, knocking Chouchou out of the trees, and onto the ground.  
"The enemy...!" Shikadai blurted, before being attacked himself.  
"...!" Inojin was thrown onto the ground as well.  
"Inojin-" Sarada blurted, before being hit herself.  
' _Need...to activate...Sharingan..._ '  
She found herself clutching onto the dirt beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly; her face horrified. ' _Everything is blurry...!_ ' She sat up quickly, trying to find her glasses. "Shit," she muttered, finding herself panicking even more as every second passed.  
"Glasses...? Oh, I guess she can't see now." One of the grown men lamented.  
She looked in the direction of where she heard the voice. She could only see the blurry image of a dark figure.  
"It's good the Uchiha girl can't see now. We actually stand a chance of winning this fight, now."  
She couldn't see what was happening around her.  
Relying on her hearing, she heard the sound of something breaking.  
" _Oops_ ," one of the men chuckled. The other man laughed alongside him.  
"Shikadai, they broke her glasses...!" Inojin panicked.  
' _This is bad,_ ' Shikadai thought to himself. ' _This mission relied on her Sharingan..!_ '  
Shikadai glanced at Inojin, and Chouchou, who had regained consciousness.  
"InoShikaCho! Formation 2!" Shikadai shouted.  
Chouchou nodded. " _Multi-size technique...!_ " A giant hand appeared, knocking down a tree.  
Dust arose, filling the air. "No... _no..._ " Shikadai facepalmed himself.  
"Stupid fatty...wrong formation..."

"An Akimichi member...!?" A surprised voice could be heard.  
"Then the other two must be of the Nara and Yamanaka clans!"  
When the dust settled, the enemy were seen standing in front of them. They were revealed to middle aged, tanned men. They had dark green eyes and heavy soot colored cloaks with hoods on. They had identical, narrow faces with very visible cheekbones protruding. Scars could be seen all over them. They looked identical to anyone else who could be found in the bingo book. The only difference between the two men, besides their facial scars, was that the man on the right carried a bag with him.  
' _The documents,_ ' Shikadai thought.  
"We are..."  
"...the Lightning Brothers!"  
"We are famous for our Swift Release...!"  
"The best in the world, ha!"  
"It's a pleasure to meet the last Uchiha, and the youngest InoShikaCho trio!"  
"So feel blessed to die by our _hands_!"  
They paused, smiling proudly.  
They then became blurs again, rushing into the trees.

"Formation _2,"_ Inojin snapped at Chouchou.  
"I-I'm sorry, I saw Sarada lost her glasses, and th-then I got freaked out and-"  
"No Inojin, Chouchou," Shikadai interrupted. "Our InoShikaCho combos won't work...and neither would Inojin's drawings...these two are too fast even for even my _shadows_ to catch up to them. They are prodigies at the Swift release..."  
Chouchou looked away, solemnly. Inojin bit his lip, not knowing what to do.  
" _Ah-!_ " Chouchou was suddenly thrown into the tree trunk.  
" _Wha-_ " Inojin was then instantly slammed against another tree.  
Shikadai's eyes widened with shock as another blur threw him against yet another tree.  
Sarada stared helplessly at the blurry world around her. She attempted to focus her Sharingan, but was not able to.  
' _Shit..._ '  
"We were going to play with you guys...but you guys are pretty weak, huh...?"  
Sarada saw two blurry figures rapidly approaching her. However, her vision was far too blurry to truly pick up on their muscle movements. She could not see in detail. She slowly backed up, her back touching the bark of the tree. ' _Mama... Papa...!_ '  
The figures slowly approached her closer.  
She never felt so panicked before in her life.  
Death had never come so close to her door before.  
Panic and fear overwhelmed her body, paralyzing her.  
' _this is the end...!?_ '  
Images began to run through her mind: memories of her father, and mother. The Hokage monument. Naruto. Chouchou, Inojin, Shikadai. Metal Lee, Mitsuki. And then she saw his back. The back she worked so hard to catch up to.  
' _Boruto..._ '  
She tightly shut her eyes, waiting for her impending death.  
' _you said you would protect me...baka...!_ '

" _Rasengan!_ "  
And then she saw it.  
Her charcoal eyes widened after seeing the sight of his back, his dark soot jacket in plain view.  
She was actually seeing his back.  
She actually was seeing _him._  
"You came!" Chouchou was heard shouting.  
"Leave it to the Hokage's son to come," Shikadai mumbled.  
"Heh," Inojin added.  
" _Boruto,_ " Sarada muttered.  
"Did I come too late?" He turned his face, the dust and explosion making it even more difficult to see. But she could tell he was looking at her.

The brothers recovered, and then readied themselves to attack Boruto again. He easily deflected their attacks, somehow managing to out speed them.  
' _How did he manage to be quicker than them...? He doesn't have the Sharingan...?'  
_ "Your father was wrong," Shikadai thought outloud. "your skills with the Byakugan must be really advanced,"  
"That old man doesn't know anything," Boruto hissed, cockily smiling. Two blurs aimed towards him in retaliation. " _Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!_ " He shouted, large amounts of chakra being released from his body, all at once. He swirled and swirled and dug himself into the surface beneath him, like the bolt he was named after, flinging the brothers back.  
"N-no way-" Exasperated voices could be meekly heard.  
"-could you be..."  
"I'm _Uzumaki Boruto,_ dattebasa!" He launched himself towards where the brothers lay, defeated, and landed his final attack: " _Eight Trigams 64 Palms!_ "

 _"he's always been watching you. Don't be afraid,"  
_ Her mother's voice ran in circles inside her mind. A tear almost fell from her eyes, a tear of sheer happiness and relief.  
' _Mama, he really was always watching me..._ '  
"Heh," Shikadai smirked, standing up. Inojin followed after, carefully cleaning the dirt off of his clothes. He and Shikadai proudly smiled at Boruto.  
" _WOO HOO!_ Boruto, you kicked ass!" Chouchou cheered.  
' _There's no way he would've known to come, otherwise._ '  
Sarada, who was still standing in shock, quickly recovered upon seeing that Boruto had a large brown sack in his hands. ' _The documents,_ '  
"Boruto, you show off too much. Could it be because Sarada is here...?"  
' _That voice...?_ '  
"Mitsuki!" Chouchou exclaimed.  
"Mitsuki?" Sarada, ignoring his comment about her, turned around. Before her eyes was a blurry figure. She saw a dominance of blue in the figure, which confirmed it was her teammate. " _Mitsuki_ ,"  
Mitsuki approached his fellow teammate. She saw curiosity flood his face- even with her blurred vision, she could see. "Sarada, your glasses...?"  
"Ah-" A sweat drop fell from her head.  
"Sarada totally froze up when the enemy got close," Boruto smirked, teasing. "I guess even someone like _her_ has weaknesses..."  
" _Huh?_ What do you mean by that, _baka?!_ " Sarada's face tensed up, angry. "I can't see, but I can still beat the shit out of you...!"  
"...!" Boruto's eyes widened with fear, as he backed away from his angry teammate.

"They're cute, huh?" Chouchou asked, getting closer to Mitsuki. She winked at him, her cheeks slightly blushing.  
" _Ah,_ " he sheepishly replied.  
Shikadai smirked, as he watched Mitsuki and Chouchou walk in front of them. "So, I figured out the end game,"  
"Hm?" Inojin asked, his eyebrows raising in curiosity.  
Shikadai pointed ahead in front of them, to Chouchou and Mitsuki. "Those two," He pointed further in front of them, to Sarada and Boruto. "and them."  
Inojin smiled. "Yes," He agreed. He watched the latter interact; Sarada's face a bright scarlet and Boruto chuckling as he held the documents. ' _You did it, Megane._ ' He thought to himself.  
"Oh, and I almost forgot...you and Himawari will also be end game," Shikadai added, causing Inojin to turn scarlet himself.

 **-x-x-x-**

"Sarada, aren't you glad we came?" Boruto asked.  
"I-I could've taken care of them myself,"  
"Maybe, if your glasses weren't destroyed..."  
Irked by that comment, she glared at him. "How did you even know to come rescue us?"  
"Well, you see, shortly after my dad sent you off on your mission, he called me and Mitsuki in...he and Shikamaru realized that they shouldn't make this mission rely solely on your Sharingan...so, we trailed behind you guys,"  
Sarada was silent.  
He sheepishly chuckled. "Say, Sarada, didn't I do a good job protecting you back there?"  
"You did okay," Sarada smirked.  
" _Okay_?! Man, I totally kicked their butts, _dattebasa_! Wait until the old man hears about this!"  
She smiled. Still walking without a pair of glasses on, she walked in a world of blur. She did not realize she was about to trip over a massive stone.  
" _Hey,_ watch out!"  
She suddenly felt a giant hand grab her shoulder, and she suddenly felt anchored to the side of his coat. Her face turned into the same color as a tomato when she realized she was within arm's length of his body.  
"W-what are you do-doing..." She stammered, embarrassed.  
"I have to protect you, remember?" He smiled. "So that one day, you can be Hokage...and then after that, I'll still protect you!"  
Only her rapidly increasing heartbeat could be heard as a response.  
She couldn't clearly see, but she could've sworn his cheeks were a bright red color themselves.  
"Sarada, I'm always watching you. You're so precious to me."  
Her eyes couldn't see what his facial expression was, but she had a hunch of what she was seeing.

"So...you like me, right?" She winked.  
"N-no...! I mean, I'm not denying it, but...!"  
She wrapped her arms around him, too. "I like you too, _baka_ ,"  
He rested the side of his face on her head.

Their love was long overdue.  
Squeals from Chouchou could be heard from behind them, resulting in the two quickly separating themselves from each other out of sheer embarrassment. 


End file.
